The Arrow of Destiny Cuts Through the Night

#66

Knock knock.

There was a knock from the driver’s seat towards the passengers in the back of the carriage.

“We’ll take a short break here.”

It had been a few hours since Jersian and Kain boarded the carriage. Looking out the window, it seemed to be a rest area where horses could rest while eating water and hay. However, it didn’t appear to be a place frequented by ordinary commoners, as the carriage had stopped in front of an impressive, luxurious multi-story building.

“Let’s get out for a bit too.”

Jersian said this and then opened the carriage door. Then, as before, he extended one hand with an indifferent face.

“…”

Ah, I almost forgot.

Kain lightly placed his hand on Jersian’s palm, just as he had seen a human in a dress do before. This time too, he only placed his hand lightly on the palm, intending to get out of the carriage on his own without putting much weight on it. However, Jersian grasped Kain’s hand firmly and then quickly pulled him towards himself.

While Kain managed to put one foot down from the carriage with a “Huh?”, there wasn’t enough space for the other foot. Losing balance slightly was something that could be corrected with a few more steps. But.

“Where did you leave your mind?”

Jersian’s strong arm supported Kain’s waist as he was about to tilt.

This… wouldn’t have been necessary if you hadn’t pulled me, right? Kain looked up at Jersian with an incredulous face. Still in Jersian’s arms, he was in a position of looking up at him. It was a somewhat unfamiliar view for Kain, who had always been looking down at Jersian’s face due to the latter still being shorter.

“…”

“…”

Their eyes met in the air. For a moment, silence hung between the two. Kain was the first to break the silence.

“Thanks for catching me, but… could you let go now?”

“Oh, oh. Yeah.”

Jersian, with a dazed face, stupidly answered several times.

“You should.”

Jersian closed his eyes tightly once, then opened them and abruptly let go.

“…Ugh?”

Kain stumbled once at the sudden disappearance of Jersian’s arm, then regained his balance. He had asked to be let go, not to be thrown off. Kain, who had almost been thrown to the ground, looked at Jersian incredulously, but he rather boldly said,

“You asked me to let go, didn’t you?”

“…I did.”

Kain chose to roughly brush off the wrinkles on his clothes from the carriage ride with his hands instead of arguing. Meanwhile, Jersian had already arrived at the door of the building.

There, staff members had come out after hearing the news of the Gerold family’s carriage arriving. They bowed their heads politely to greet the two.

“Welcome, Mr. Jersian Gerold, Mr. Kain Starchis.”

It seemed their names had already been communicated. Kain followed behind Jersian, secretly marveling at this. Jersian entered the building, seemingly familiar with the situation, guided by the staff.

“We’ve prepared a place on the third floor.”

One staff member said, gesturing towards the stairs. The interior of the building was much more spacious and well-organized than it had appeared from the outside. In contrast, there were fewer people than expected. Interestingly, the higher they went up the stairs, the fewer people there were.

Roughly guessing, if the first floor was a space for parking carriages and resting horses, the second and third floors seemed to be where the carriage passengers rested. Due to both Jersian and Kain’s cool demeanors, the staff only glanced at them while guiding, without adding any unnecessary comments.

“Here it is.”

On the table, tea and light refreshments for two were prepared. Thanks to the partitions installed on both sides, it had quite a private atmosphere. The staff member took their coats, gave a greeting, and left.

Once they were alone, Jersian went to the table first and pulled out a chair with a smooth motion. Then he nodded towards Kain.

“…”

It seems I’ve gotten used to this behavior now. As Kain sat in the chair Jersian had pulled out, he gently pushed it in. Immediately after sitting across from him, a look of satisfaction appeared on Jersian’s face. He seemed to like how Kain naturally went along with these things without saying anything.

That’s when it happened.

The engagement ring they had exchanged at the engagement ceremony, now on Jersian’s finger on the table, caught Kain’s eye. It was a ring with the Gerold family crest intricately carved in platinum, set with a garnet, Jersian’s symbolic color.

During their time living at the Gerold mansion after that engagement ceremony, this ring had not been on Jersian’s finger. So Kain had internally assumed that engagement rings were only used during the engagement ceremony.

Jersian on the opposite side went “Hm?” and checked where Kain’s gaze was fixed. Before he could notice, Kain spoke first.

“…The engagement ring… it feels like it’s been a while since I’ve seen it.”

It felt even more awkward hearing the words he had just uttered. Kain lightly brushed his empty left hand with another finger. In fact, he had left the engagement ring in his room since the engagement ceremony. He hadn’t even opened the small ring box lined with purple silk since then.

To begin with, Kain was the type to find all body ornaments bothersome. For him, who had just gotten used to the flowing clothes of the human world, a ring that constantly caught on his finger’s sensation was like a high-difficulty challenge.

“Ah, this.”

Jersian seemed to think that Kain was worried about not wearing his own ring. He shrugged lightly and said,

“Don’t worry. The servants would have taken care of yours.”

“…Ah, that’s a relief.”

The implication that they had brought the ring carefully stored in the room meant that the ring must be worn during this hunting competition. I’ve never shot an arrow while wearing a ring before… Won’t it get in the way?

Kain nodded while thinking that internally. Jersian continued speaking while turning the ring on his hand with his other hand.

“Within the Gerold family, it’s not necessary since we only meet servants and cousins, but it’s customary to wear it when participating in events like this. This also means that you are a member of our Gerold family, so make sure to wear it for the next fortnight, even if it’s bothersome.”

“…I will.”

After hearing such words, it would be difficult not to wear the engagement ring. I guess I’ll have to get used to the engagement ring, at least for the next fortnight. Kain nodded while thinking this.

That’s when it happened.

“Jersian Gerold?”

Someone called Jersian’s name as they walked towards the table. At the sound of firm footsteps from sturdy shoe heels, both Jersian and Kain’s heads turned sharply. There stood a man with a gaunt impression, with several attendants behind him. With each step he took, a thick cloak with a large emblem of the Arkner Empire dragged on the floor.

Surprisingly, this man was someone even Kain Starchis knew.

It was the 5th Prince, Ernis Claude. They had met at the engagement ceremony, and although he might not know it, Kain had even been to the front of the mansion where he was staying. It seemed that he too was moving to Whinicer Forest to participate in the hunting competition, staying at a castle near the marquis’s residence.

“Prince Ernis, how do you do?”

After confirming the identity of the figure, Jersian stood up, pulling his chair back with a scraping sound.

The man seemed flustered and waved his hands to stop Jersian.

“Ah, there’s no need to stand up. I just came over to say hello from afar.”

Cough. The gaunt-looking Ernis coughed. Immediately, one of the attendants standing behind quickly offered a handkerchief. Ernis Claude held the handkerchief to his mouth and then made a sound of catching his breath. It was rough breathing, as if he had been running for a long time.

After a moment, he passed the handkerchief back and spoke to Kain standing next to Jersian.

“…And you were Jersian’s fiancé, right? I heard at the engagement ceremony back then… Your name was…”

Ernis Claude furrowed his brow and tapped his mouth with his finger a few times in an exaggerated gesture. Just as Kain was about to open his mouth, Jersian stepped forward first and provided the information he wanted.

“It’s Kain Starchis, Your Highness.”

“Ah, Kain Starchis. Right. That was the name. Thanks to those pointed ears, I recognized you at a glance even from afar.”

Ernis Claude, who had slightly moved in front of Kain, stared at him with a vile smile.

“…”

Somehow, his gaze was not to Kain’s liking. Kain’s cold face slightly hardened.